Vance DeGeneres, who plays the talk show host Erik Matthew Marshall, is Ellen DeGeneres real-life brother.
Ranjit was played by Indian comedian, Brian George, who had played Butler Inspector #2 in the very amusing The Butler, the Husband, the Wife and Her Mother (1993). There have been many "cross-overs" of sorts between the two sitcoms, including shared wardrobe items and borrowed storylines.
Since The Nanny stole so much from Ellen (premises, entire episodes, titles, characters, storylines and other elements), Ellen started retaliating and returned the favor, in a "war of the sitcoms" of sorts: this Ellen episode---whose title comes from the movie Sophie's choice---is modeled after Frannie's Choice (1994).
Joke copied by Fran Drescher & writer Peter Marc Jacobson in The Bird's Nest (1996): Audrey tells her boss, Ellen, the contents of her mail because she allegedly steamed it open "by accident". Fran tells the same thing to her boss, again claiming "accidental" steam opening of mail.